Syndra rework sees League mage’s play rate boom, but win rate lags behind

Syndra’s rework landed on League of Legends servers on patch 12.19, and it’s given the mid lane mage a boon in play rate ⁠— but her win rate is still sitting below 50%. While players are overall happy with the direction of the changes, it’s not quite to parity.

Syndra has spent the majority of her League of Legends existence dominating the mid lane meta. The mage might have fluxed in and out, but she was a pro play staple with her burst-focused kit and utility at her disposal.

However she was pushed out of the meta, arguably for the first time ever, thanks to League of Legends patch 12.10 and the durability update. It was harder to use her combos effectively, and her utility became irrelevant without her burst.

This prompted Riot to give the Dark Sovereign her first major update in a decade, reworking her passive to upgrade her abilities in a more active manner, rather than just level ups. It gave Syndra more snowball for the late game, at the cost of some of her early power.

With the rework now on live servers for the past week, the results are looking positive. Syndra’s play rate has boomed from 2.33% on LoL patch 12.18 to nearly 10% on LoL patch 12.19. This has been coupled with a ban rate increase too, especially in higher elos.

Her win rate is still lagging behind somewhat though. It’s a more modest 48.92% now, compared to 47.51% pre-rework, but it’s still not quite to parity. 

There is also no pro play stats on the new-look Syndra given Worlds 2022 is being played on the previous patch. She was played once in the Play-In Stage by Li ‘Xiaohu’ Yuan-Hao of RNG, as well as once by GAM Esports’ Dang ‘Kati’ Thanh Phe in Groups ⁠— both with the old kit.

Whether her win rate will continue to climb as players get a handle on her remains to be seen. However things are looking positive for the Dark Sovereign as she becomes relevant again just ahead of League of Legends Season 13.